CD Review | Kevin Lau: Under a Veil of Stars (Leaf Music, 2023)

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Kevin Lau: Under a Veil of Stars
St. John-Mercer-Park Trio; Kevin Lau, composer
Leaf Music, September 2023

Rarely do program notes capture the intangible, inexpressible nature of the works they describe. But such is not the case with composer Kevin Lau’s album Under a Veil of Stars, whose notes accurately describe the music as ‘music that invites us into an experience with the warm, welcoming touch of the familiar, only to then show us the universe”

The four piano trios by the Hong Kong-born Canadian composer are wonderfully performed by the St. John-Mercer-Park Trio (Scott St. John, Rachel Mercer and Angela Park). The opening of the first movement, The Stars are Never Still, demonstrates limpid, supple piano playing, complemented by exquisite, warm string sonorities. Lau’s fluid writing evokes colourful spaces and varied textures. Flavours of Spanish and modal music, combined with echoes of the classical and popular music repertoires, bring interesting accents to the work, recalling a spirit of American naiveté (derived from Aaron Copland).

The second movement, Land of Poison Trees, features repetitive rhythmic and melodic motifs, reflecting the cacophony of modern life. The consonant harmonies are pleasant to listen to, and the trio’s excellent playing expresses Lau’s musical sounds with tenderness and warmth. In contrast, the third movement, In That Shoreless Ocean, creates an atmosphere of resignation: the end of a short, eventful life for this magnificent piano trio.

Performed by Angela Park, The Dreamer, for solo piano, takes its impetus from a repetitive, syncopated rhythmic motif that recalls familiar music, but whose contours escape our memory. Hints of traditional Jewish and Arabic music pepper a magnificent piano melody. Reminiscent of Philip Glass and the soundtrack to Shtisel, an Israeli Netflix series, the pure simplicity of the writing is splendid.

In his duet for piano and violin, If Life Were Like a Mirror, Lau offers a bouquet of familiar themes, melodies and musical fragments whose sources are not always clear. A postmodern collage of fragments, the listener can pick out the work of J.S. Bach (including Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring), Beethoven (Appassionata Sonata, Moonlight Sonata and Op.111), Mozart (Sonata in E minor for violin and piano) and Piazolla (tango accents).

The rest of the album contains Piano Trio No. 1, Timescape Variations and A Simple Secret for piano trio, and Intuitions No. 2 for violin and cello. A perfect match between the poetic content of the music and the talents of each trio member, Lau’s colourful imagination evokes nature, the ocean and wide-open spaces. The writing is melodically sensitive and projects a delicate emotion. A dynamic rhythm ensures that the music flows at all times.

A wonderful discovery of contemporary works that are accessible, pleasant to listen to and rich in all aspects: melody, rhythm, colour and harmony, counterpoint, technique, sonority and timbre. Thanks to the excellent sound recording by Leaf Music’s producers, Lau’s imagination is fully captured and expressed by the brilliant playing of the St. John-Mercer-Park trio. A gift for all music lovers: to be listened to and savoured.

This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en: Francais (French)